Dirty bomb components 'smuggled' into U.S.

| Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Counterfeit
documents and enough radioactive material to make two “dirty bombs” slipped
past U.S. border protection in Texas and Washington recently – but it wasn’t by
terrorists. It was by undercover investigators conducting a test.

The
test was used to identify weaknesses as the federal government prepares to give
U.S. Customs and Border Protection more tools to combat border threats.

The radioactive component, Cesium 137 triggered alarms, but the
undercover agents fooled border guards with counterfeit documents and were
allowed to come into the country.

Sen. Norm Coleman, R-MN, accused the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of
being stuck in a pre-Sept. 11, 2001, mindset, and called for more
modernization.

President Bush’s administration announced that within 45 days, border
protection would get more tools to do its job, particularly with verifying
documents.